Impractical shoes

As you can perhaps tell from the marvellous bags under my eyes, I'm still recovering somewhat from the weekend. I partied hard on Saturday. And, as a result, suffered somewhat yesterday. Sometimes you need to really blow off some steam though and what better than a night on the dance floor for doing it, eh? Plus, I totally won a dance off with a dude dressed as Lady Gaga - you should know that I OWN any given dance floor. When I really get going, I bust moves you'd think I had not the flexibility, strength or dexterity to pull off. It's quite incredible.

And so to Monday. I'm not gonna lie. I still don't feel 100%. I think the hangover passed but the sleep pattern messery, along with not enough fluid has taken its toll so here I am at home (instead of hitting the gym - oh dear) writing this and drinking chamomile tea. And necking Easter treats. However, this morning, in the interests of putting on a sunny face, I decided it was a day for wearing something awesome and cracking out the impractical shoes. I had a bit of a sore foot around Christmas/New Year and have been in flats and trainers a lot more than usual since then. Today, I went for towering Charlotte Olympias...

They're so epic and they haven't been out for so long! I'm sure they feel neglected. Poor things. Speaking of things that haven't been worn for so long, I got a diamanté encrusted jersey pencil skirt in Topshop late last year and, so far, I've only worn it out once: dancing one night. Today, diamanté encrustment just felt work appropriate.

Who doesn't love a dazzling bum, after all? To keep it from being too OTT, I added a cosy jumper.

Jumper: H&M, skirt: Topshop, shoes: Charlotte Olympia, necklace: Suzywan Deluxe

And a serious face! I had a banging sore head when I took the pics (don't you dare say I don't love you). Now that I've chewed some pills and had some dinner, it seems to have abated. Hopefully that's it over with cause I plan to go for a quick run tomorrow evening. When I say quick, I mean not long in duration, as opposed to running in a speedy fashion. I dare say I shall slowly schlep. Run. Pah!

Have a swell week everyone. This is my ONLY full working week in April - I have coming up this month a weekend away at my pal's caravan, a long weekend in Amsterdam AND a long weekend in Berlin! I'm so flash!

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Dr. Martens and diamantes...

I'm sure I don't need to ask, but is anyone fed up of this perpetual winter yet?! I mean, I'm lucky: we've had a few hairy days but nothing at all compared to the poor folk on Arran and in Western Scotland and North West England who lost their power and everything. That must have been so miserable. However, to return to the utterly superficial (oh, come on, this is a fashion blog), sartorially, all the snow means one thing: it's back to the Dr. Martens!

Dr. Martens boots from schuh

They're cosy, they keep my feet dry and they're a sticky, grippy treat on the ice and snow!

The sunshine in this ensemble comes courtesy of my bargain sale dress from River Island. I love the sunset graphic on it. It should be all wrong - it emphasises my widest parts, both in imagery and cling  but who cares, eh? I hope to sweat it out in it in the clubs of Ibiza this summer, having watched the glorious sunset there, mere hours before! On the beach, with a bottle of wine, ideally.

And how better to further cheer things up than with a splash of diamanté  If ever it's a toss up between the classy and the trashy, I'll always opt for a dash of the latter. It's just more fun.

Diamanté shoulder jumper - Topshop

 And why limit the shimmer to the shoulder, when you can fire on a twinkly necklace too? This necklace was a cheeky wee Primark bargain but, as is so often the case, I see it on someone's neck most days now. Ah well, it still looks good!

Have an ace Easter weekend, whatever you're up to!

Sometimes I can't believe this is my job.

A lot of the time, my job is based at a desk. But sometimes, I get set loose and go out to some, frankly, really ace stuff. Last week, I found myself at a photo shoot down in London. I'm sure, for folk who are at shoots all the time, they become really mundane. But, when you're only at them a few times a year and the purpose of your time there is to immerse yourself and get a bit of a plan about what you can do to support the resultant campaign and to get some ace snaps for social media to give a behind the scenes sneak preview, man are they a great way to spend a day!

Here are some fun out-takes...

Building the set

My colleague chilling under the set

Hiding under a set piece

Being attacked by a set piece!

Models being beautified. As if they need it!

Model blending in with the floor instructions.

I don't know about you, but I always insist on my pedicurist following me about for toenail polish emergencies.

Make-up, make-up and more make-up. And more make-up. So had to resist have a good poke about!

More accessories. Studded collars go girlie...

When at a shoe based shoot, one simple NEEDS shoes.

Spectacular.

 And so to the downtime dress up fun...

I need a pair of these.

My colleagues love them too.

So many accessories, so little time!

Sunday shoe porn: somebody stop me!

This week, the shoe porn is all mine. Even by Llara standards, I've gone a bit shoe crazy in the last month or so. I've been too busy to blog them as they came into my life so I thought I'd round them up today. Ah, today. I'd describe what I've been up to today as "hunkering down". The forecasted "storm force" winds and driving rain landed in Edinburgh and it's been every bit as rough as predicted. So I cancelled thoughts of leaving the house and battened down the hatches. Quite literally in some areas - I have tissue paper stuffed around a point where a wire comes in through our window to hold back the leakage that happens when the rain pours!

And, so to the shoes. Last week, I showcased my beautiful Nicholas Kirkwood shoes. This week, all 6 pairs (yes, that does mean I've bought at least 7 pairs of shoes in the last month-ish. Some would be a bit disgusted by that. To them I say "bite me") combined cost less than that one pair so we're truly at the other end of the spectrum. And to really kick things off super bargain style, I picked up these shoes along with my grocery shop a few weeks ago at Asda.

I've always suspected that I was somewhat lacking on the snakeskin shoe front. That said, snakeskin shoes can often look really quite skankalicious and it's hard to find a nice pair that don't put me in mind of buckets of fake tan, too-tight shiny dresses and tranny style lip liner. However, the sweet almond shaped toe and mid heel on this pair struck just the right note for me: demure rather than manure, if you will. So in they went to my trolley. Want to know the best bit? They were £2 in the sale. That's a quid per shoe. 20p each per toe coverage. Insane. I can't walk away from a bargain that hefty. Powerless. So now they're mine.

Next up are these H&M stilettos. I've really gotten back into my stilettos again lately (and this time around, I will NOT sell them all on eBay! I will remember that fashion is cyclical and so is my taste and keep them for the future) and, once again had a sneaking suspicion. Which was that I likely needed a nice basic multicoloured glitter pair in my arsenal. So, imagine my joy when I stumbled across this twinkly pair for a tenner in the H&M sale. Woop! And I had a gift card - so, in fash-math terms, that means FREE.
. 

Next up, we have the most expensive purchase. My insane, sort-of-wedge-but-heel-less neon shatter boots from American site Nasty Gal. I saw a blogger wearing them some time ago. I can't remember where sadly. I'm sure I made some of sort of noise along the lines of "gnuarghhhhIHaveToHaveThem" when I first clapped eyes on them. Sadly, said blogger hadn't linked to them and could I find them anywhere? Could I buggery. But sometimes fortune smiles upon us. One of my colleagues was about to buy some shocking pink spiky efforts from Nasty Gal and asked if anyone else wanted to order anything and split the postage. Oh, and their shoes all had 25% off too. Donkey. Stick. Carrot. Other figures of speech that imply the ease with which I was reeled in. So, off I went, browsey, browse when: what should I stumble upon? Only the EPIC neon heel-less shoe boots that I'd seen on the blogger! I couldn't bloody believe it. And so, I was IN on the Nasty Gal spree! And on the off-chance that they're just SO your bag too, you can get them here. They don't call Little Scribbler helpful for nothing...

And so back to British shores. These shoes are from New Look. I'd admired them a few times but hadn't actually got as far as even trying them on. A plain black peep toe upper isn't really me (see the shoes above) but the watercolour-esque platform and heel caught me and I LOVE the shape of the heel - quite slim from the back but really wide from the side. It's got such a grace to its chunkiness which made me swoon every time I saw them. And, earlier this week I was in a New Look and they were down to £11 in the sale so it was rude not to at least try them. And they fit perfectly and looked awesome on. Done deal.

Next up, good old Topshop. Their shoes, by high street standards always feel at the upper end of the cost scale. That said, often they have really original stuff and you can see why they're pricier. I'd been eyeing up these stilettos for a good while but kept telling myself I didn't need them. I also kept not having £65 going spare so, really the conundrum "to buy or not to buy" was squashed right there. BUT (and spy a theme emerging here), they went in the SALE. Yay for sales! I was in my local store a few weeks ago and they'd gone down to £30. And then the ever so nice dude in the shop inexplicably gave me student discount too. I must have a studenty air about me. So I bagged them for £26, which I am most pleased about. The leather's so soft and glitter's so sparkly in such an understated way: it'll look a bit nothing-y, then the light hits and it twinkles like the night sky. Look at it twinkling away down there:

Lastly - yes, you're nearly at the end of this rambling and slightly obsessive collection of what now appear to be short stories. I thought the whole thing was going to be one short story. But no. I chattered on, as is my wont. Still, if you've made it this far, maybe you're enjoying the ramblings. And maybe, just maybe, you'll enjoy these shoes. I first clapped eyes on them in plain black in Urban Outfitters down in London. I tried them on but told myself to behave and that I didn't need spiked lace up creeper/flatform soled ankle boots. And I probably don't. But, I was online a week or so back and Urban Outfitters were doing 50% off their sale. Basically it was "please buy our dregs before the real winter sale starts". So it seemed rude not to take a look. Urban Outfitters' sale can be a magical thing. I got my neon pink Cambridge satchel from them last year for about £40 (they were still selling in Harvey Nichols for over £100 at the time) and one of my favourite pairs of ankle boots came from there for £20, down from £220. Yes you read that correctly - £20, down from £220. Insane. This time, I got a bra, a bumbag (no really. And, yes it will be up here at some point) and a hip flask. And these! £10, down from £55. That's 81.81% recurring, off, fash-mathletes! And they have leopard print on them! What in life is not improved with a splash of leopardy goodness? And, on that note, feel free to go forth and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Have a fabulous Chrimbo when it arrives!

Shoe crush: Sophia Webster

I got an email a wee while ago from Net-a-Porter (I think it's important to dream) with this shoe on it:

Yayoi

 FUCK ME!

Safe to say my eye was well and truly caught. It looks a bit like something a kid might make as part of a school project (and I should know cause at my work we have a school design project every year) but in a really good way! They're the work of designer Sophia Webster, a former assistant of shoe design king Nicholas Kirkwood. I can definitely see the odd hint of a Kirkwood aesthetic in some of her styles - the across the foot detailing and the slightly disjointed platforms - but, that aside, these are some of the most exciting shoes I've seen in ages!

Lana

That first email was a bit of a 'coming soon' job. Today I got the news that the collection had landed! I actually checked out Yayoi, the beaded bad boy, and Lana, with her perspex encased sequins, in Harvey Nichols last week. Sometimes I go in there just to have a right good perv over the expensive shoes. I'll have a wee look and a touch and, if they're super soft, I might even smell them too. What?! Don't even try telling me that's not normal. Anyway, regardless of what you make of my habits, the shoes were complete visual treats in real life too.

Karlie

If I was given the opportunity to have a pair of her shoes (and I fear I may be waiting a while), I think I'd go for Yayoi - which was inspired by artist Yayoi Kusama's graphic dot paintings (see Louis Vuitton's recent collab too) - just for the childish joyousness of them. Otherwise, I reckon I'd go Karlie. The shape's dead practical (classic peep court) but the rest is anything but. I love the combo of the ice cream zig-zag upper with monochrome striped sole and colour block neon pop heel. They're just awesome. I love them. Can I have both?

Riko

Riko, for me, is defintiely the most Kirkwood of the lot. The cage effect upper with slim heel and tie details screams it but she's definitely added her own twist. I know we're not all likely to be rushing out to buy designer shoes but, if I'm gonna do it, ideally I want something that's really unique and exciting. And Sophoa Webster shoes sure as hell are that!

They're all on Net-a-Porter now.

Storing my shoe collection - it's complicated

My shoe collection is pretty big. I haven't counted the pairs but it's safe to say there are a LOT. Ideally, I'd love a giant walk in closet a la sex and the city where the shoes are all out of their boxes and lined up beautifully and somehow staying dust free. That's the dream. Being that we're a little restricted space-wise and that I've spent all my money on shoes already, that's not really an option right now. Or maybe ever. However, this weekend, driven by desires to actually see my bedroom floor again and to not break my neck falling over rogue shoes, I decided to get it all sorted out. Here's how they all (just about) fit in...

Apologies for the truly shite blurry pic. I took it and didn't realise how bad it was until it was on the computer. And I am lazy! Technically, this wardrobe is Mr Scribbler's. However, I have wangled a shoe rack and a couple of jackets in there. This "hangy thing" came from Ikea and is ideal for squishing in flats and, to be honest, shoes that are maybe a bit past their best that you don't mind not being in boxes. You can get a prettier version here. At this point I should tell you that piles of shoes in the bottom of a wardrobe makes me cry on the inside and feel a bit sick. It's just so wrong! Care for thy shoes! Which kind of goes some way to explaining this...

The tremendous shoe cabinet of awesomeness. AKA the home of my favourite and designer shoes. I update the contents fairly regularly cause I'm fickle and change my mind all the time about my faves. If you've been reading a while, you'll have seen the cabinet before, so proud of it am I. If you haven't you can check out it's transformation from orphan rescued (for free! FREE!) from a rainy street, to tremendous shoe cabinet of awesomeness -> here. It's a touching story.

Observe though, that the storage above does not finish with the TSCoA. Oh no. We also have stackable transparent shoe boxes. These things are genius: they're clear(ish) so you can see what's in them, they stack and slot into each other so you can pile 'em high, they're smaller than a lot of shoe boxes so save space AND they fold so if you have spares they stash away neatly! Just google 'transparent stackable shoe boxes' or similar and do some price comparison. I think mine came through eBay in the end but do make sure you look for the ridgy ones that slot together!

Along with the TSCoA, I also do actually have a walk in cupboard that has boxes of shoes stacked up in it. It is called the shoe closet. Like the normal person's version of the SATC scenario. The washing basket lives in here too so it is a bit of a jam but it keeps this little lot out of the way. Some of the shoes aren't in their original boxes but in smaller boxes I have, with their name/description written on the front. Every centimetre counts! And so does ease of shoe finding. There's a shelf on the wall in there too that takes a surprising amount of shoe weight:

My, so tonal!

One of my latest storage solutions is this over the door (hanging into the shoe closet) hanging thang with pockets from Argos. It fits 10 pairs of shoes in (mine are mainly size 7s) but you could probably get pairs of flip flops or smooshed up flats in one pocket if you felt the urge. I got it today for £6.99 (here it is - man I am helpful with my links) and am pleasantly surprised by it as a few of the reviewers said it only fit kids shoes in. It doesn't. Yay! You wouldn't get heels in or anything but it does the job for flats.

 

And finally, in a rare glimpse into the man side of my life, here are Mr Scribbler's shoes:

Yup, he's nearly as shoe daft as me these days (which makes my habit SO much easier to justify) and I finally had to get him some more rack space. The ones on the left we got today in Argos. It's actually two stacked together and they were £4.99 each. Bargain! They're nowt fancy but totally do the job. And, as I type this, he's actually filled them up.

So, now we don't have shoes lying about the bedroom and living room but we do have them on racks in the hall, in the wardrobe in the spare room, in a cabinet in the bedroom, hanging over a door and inside the shoe closet. Neat, non? If you have any space saving shoe storage tips, feel free to share them with me. Otherwise, I hope some of this was useful for you if, like me, your collection is somewhat unruly!

Little Scribbler did not: buy new shoes, no she did not!

Yes she did. Yes, I did. 

Well, really, what did you expect? Old habits die hard. Plus, picture the scenario: It's an otherwise uneventful weekday evening. I'm doing a bit of blog reading, a bit of casual online browsing, not looking for anything in particular. I decided to look at the Topshop shoe sale cause, by mid-late August, there sometimes are some great sale bargains to be found on t'interwebs as prices have been slashed to the max and retailers consolidate stock back at their warehouses cause they don't want it cluttering the shops anymore. (True insider fact - it's always worth checking back on the sale bit of websites very late into or at the end of sale time cause a lot of places do clear the shops and flog it online). I was casually browsing through, dismissing all the crap sandals that were still overpriced and, regardless of price, ugly, when I stumbled upon shoe gold.

Topshop first had these in, in peach months ago. I eyed them longingly for some time, concluding loosely that I couldn't drop £58 on a pair of shoes I didn't really need and might not get much wear out of. Even if they were oh so relevant and covered in beaded, sequined and jewelled 3d flowers. Sensible girl Llara. When I did go back looking for them again, they'd sold out. Then they brought them out in pale yellow. On account of lack of funds and being sensible again I didn't buy them. However. When I looked this time they only had my size. And they were down to £25. Fate like that doesn't strike often and it would have been out and out rude to ignore it. So I didn't and the shoes were duly snapped up!

Look how pretty they are! And, a fash bonus, the stiletto and metal toe cap trend does not seem to be dying. That said, they do reek of summer! Still, they'll only serve to add a dose of sunshine to autumn and winter. Yup, in these babies, there'll be no S.A.D for me.

Swoon! Anyone else had any end of sales luck?

Gucci, Zara, Gucci, Zara...

Check out these Gucci shoes - swoon!

They're so crystal clad and sparkly! And they're currently on sale at Net-A-Porter at £735 down from £1470. Bargain, huh? Eh, no, not so much. I mean, I know they're Gucci and all but that's still pretty crazy money. So, in theory, they're out of reach. Or are they...

Look what I found in Zara!

As usual, my pictures do them no justice - they're far prettier and sparklier looking than I've captured and look waaaaay more expensive than their £59.99 price tag. I'll be honest: I actually bought these a month or so ago for the sheer love of them, having never seen the Gucci numbers. It was just today while I was browsing designer sale shoes (post on that coming soon. Too. Much. Swoon) that I spied the Guccis and did a whiplash inducing double take. My Zara's may not have crystal heels too but the difference between the tens and hundreds of pounds will go a loooooooong way! On more shoes most likely...